Nashka
=Description= Nashka (27 BBY), more infamously known as the “Green Shadow,” is one of the galaxy’s most deadly assassins. Since the time he was capable of coherent thought, Nashka has trained and studied to become a master of his craft. Highly intelligent, skilled, and resourceful, Nashka is nearly impossible to surprise or deter once he is on the job. If at all possible, he prefers to kill at a distance to minimize the threat to himself and the chance of pursuit. Appropriately, he is a skilled marksman and has an encyclopedic knowledge of poisons and explosives. He may often observe his quarry for weeks or even months before finally carrying out the hit to see to it that the job goes as smoothly as possible. He is also more than capable of handling himself in a close-quarters fight, where he can call upon various styles of martial arts or the small arsenal of poisoned vibroblades he keeps hidden on his person at all times. He has been the former head of a cadre of assassins known as the Dinkos and also a Vigo in Black Sun during the time of Xizor. Currently he is strictly freelance and will take any job depending on if the client can meet his exorbitant fees. One of Nashka's recent quirks is to hunt down and kill assassins who may have worked under him the past but have now snapped. His reputation is very important to him and he dislikes the thought of insane killers having their names attached to his. Appearance Nashka prefers stealth above all else, hence his underworld nickname of Green Shadow, and has spent his entire life learning the art of concealment. In addition, he has invested heavily in technology that will enhance the skills he has learned. He is most commonly seen wearing his custom black cloak, but it is by no means a sure thing. Nashka will also frequently disguise himself to better track a mark or get in close for the killing strike. =Skills= Omega Project Changes The time Nashka spent in the Omega Project was geared towards eliminating the weaknesses of his own body. Since Nashka was a willing participant, the Imperial technicians were more than eager to try his suggestions. Eventually they were able to modify his natural Rodian pheromones so his body could mimic the smells around him, effectively removing his scent. Already proud of his skills, the only other modifications Nashka received from the project were slight enhancements to his vision and hearing. Fighting Styles Nashka is in the peak of physical health and regularly practices several fighting styles to keep him sharp for whatever he might encounter in the galaxy. He's an efficient and intelligent fighter, using his great speed and agility to strike pressure points or other weak points to end a fight as quickly as possible. As could be expected from an assassin, he doesn't hesitate about killing anybody who challenges him. *'Teräs Käsi' Teräs Käsi was the first fighting style Nashka learned, taught to him by private instructors while the Tetsu clan was still in power. By the time the Chattza clan took over Rodia, Nashka had only mastered the basics and was forced to complete his training later while he was under the employ of Dorval the Hutt. He will frequently use Teräs Käsi in conjunction with his vibroblades if it comes to an open fight, but otherwise relies on K'tara. *'K'tara' K'tara is Nashka's preferred martial art and he has gone to great lengths to master every nuance of it. The ability to do as much damage as possible with as little noise as possible has always been his preferred method of choice. As with Teräs Käsi, Nashka frequently incorporates his vibroblades with K'tara. *'Rask' With the resurgence of the Jedi in the post-Endor galaxy, Nashka studied various ways to combat them, knowing that it was only a matter of time before he started receiving jobs to kill Jedi. After learning of the effectiveness of the style known as Rask, Nashka managed to track down its creator, Reng Kasr, and convince the former Imperial to teach it to him in return for being put on temporary retainer. Because of the raw power of Rask, it is the only martial art that Nashka doesn't use with his vibroblades. Weapons Nashka prefers to use melee weapons instead of blasters whenever possible, finding guns in general to be too noisy or messy for his preference of killing a target silently. For this reason, he always has several vibroblades on his person at all times and is an expert in their use. However, he almost always carries dual blasters in case he needs to resort to using them. His accuracy with them is marksman level and he always tries for a killing shot to put an end to the fight quickly with as little energy expended as possible. Melee *'Vibroblades' Nashka generally conceals at least six vibroblades on his person as a matter of practice. Two are always kept in special wrist launchers that allow Nashka to quickly call the weapon to his hand by squeezing a trigger located in his palm. Two more are kept hidden in his boots and the last two are usually stored in his cloak or a jacket. In addition to wielding them normally, Nashka can throw the vibroblades with deadly accuracy and speed. He will also poison his blades by wiping the blade with a special black cloth that has been soaked with the desired toxin and will clean them with another special black cloth. Despite the fact that they are vibroblades, Nashka rarely makes use of their vibronic properties unless he needs the extra cutting power, since the hum of a vibroblade can give away his position. *'Repulsor Throwing Razors' Although Nashka uses throwing razors infrequently, he prefers them over blasters as they are an effective means of killing at range without making noise. Their tiny repulsorlifts give them a greater range than his normal vibroblades. Nashka has modified his throwing razors with an additional feature, installing a basic slave-rig feature that allows him to recall his razors with a simple command. When he uses the throwing razors, they are always poisoned in some way to make sure even a slight wound means death. Projectile *'Dual KYD-21 Blasters' Despite Nashka's distaste for blasters, he's practical enough to know that some situations call for them. For this reason, a pair of KYD-21's are frequently holstered at his side. They are custom-made with an all black finish to make sure they don't give away his position by reflecting light. He favors the blasters because they have little muzzle flash but considerable stopping power. He is trained in dual-wielding the blasters, but only resorts to that in the most extreme circumstances. Otherwise he only uses one and keeps the second one around as a backup. *'Merr-Sonn MSD-32 Disruptor Pistol' Nashka keeps a rare MSD-32 disruptor tucked away in his clothing for circumstances when he needs to completely destroy evidence of a body or if he needs a weapon with a little more power behind it than his KYD-21's. Since most of Nashka's clients prefer to see evidence that their target is dead, even some long-time associates of Nashka are unaware that he keeps this weapon on him. *'Sniper Rifles' Nashka makes use of a wide variety of sniper rifles, but doesn't rely on any one with any regularity as he doesn't use them much, preferring poisons or explosives to do his long-distance killing for him since it’s much harder trace an assassin that way. In addition to the standard blaster-variety of sniper rifles, Nashka will use disruptor and even slug-throwing versions - generally matching the type to the job at hand. By far his favorite is a variety that can fire saber darts as they tend to be quiet as well as use his vast knowledge of poisons. Equipment *'Custom Cloak' The piece of technology Nashka uses the most is a special black cloak that he had custom made. In addition to absorbing visible light and concealing Nashka’s body from the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums, the cloak can be used as a basic holoshroud. The effect of the holoshroud is the equivalent of a chameleonic ability to blend into its surroundings, making him virtually invisible to the casual eye. *'Poisons' Easily one of Nashka's greatest areas of expertise, his knowledge of poisons is extensive and diverse. He tends to use Sennari the most often as it works effectively on a wide variety of races and can be delivered in multiple ways. He will also often tailor his poisons to his target, using the special traits or habits of a target against them and thereby making the kill more precise. *'Explosives' Following close behind Nashka's specialty in poisons is his knowledge of explosives, which deals almost exclusively in bombs that have to be tripped or can be set off remotely. It's also not unusual for him to carry at least a few generic grenades with him just in case he runs into something that blasters and vibroblades can't handle. =History= Early Life During his childhood, Nashka enjoyed a life of privilege as a member of the reigning Tetsu clan. His mother was one of the clan matriarchs and his father was an accomplished hunter known for going after some of the most dangerous creatures in the galaxy, even bringing a few back alive for his private collection. Sadly, his father would eventually perish while trying to hunt the infamous Tatooine Greater Krayt Dragon, eaten alive by the beast. Losing his father at such a young age spurred Nashka to continually push himself to learn all he could about the art of combat from his instructors. He took full advantage of the resources and prestige of his clan to learn from the best on Rodia. He also soon came to see one of his clan's private combat instructor droids that he regularly trained with, designated K1-0 (Kayonezero), as a friend and companion. It was during this time that he also met the love of his life: Caila. She was a member of the rival Chattza clan, but the two of them managed to set aside the rivalries of their clans to become good friends and eventually more. When Navik the Red eventually enacted his plan to wipe out the Tetsu clan, Nashka’s life was spared thanks to a warning from Caila. Knowing that they could never be together on Rodia, the two of them, now in their early teens, managed to escape by stowing away on a freighter. The only possession Nashka brought with him was the positronic brain of Kayonezero, which he rescued after Navik ordered all of the Tetsu droids be scrapped. Unstoppable Trio The annihilation of his clan was a huge blow to Nashka’s heart. Losing just about everything that was dear to him burned out much of his capacity for emotion. The only exception was his deep love for Caila and his friendship with Kayonezero. Everything else was effectively dead to him and it can be said that this, more than anything, put Nashka on the path to becoming an assassin. He and Caila were eventually able to find employment with Dorval the Hutt and quickly proved their worth to him. Although the two were young, they were both exceptionally skilled and well-trained. It wasn’t long before the pair became Dorval’s favorite assassins. Throughout this time Nashka also worked on restoring Kayonezero’s body. At first he was only able to supplant Kay’s brain into an old IG-100 MagnaGuard, but as his successes grew, and his credit supply followed, Nashka was able to extensively modify Kay’s body into a veritable killing machine. Upgrading Kay’s body wasn’t merely for show as Nashka and Caila often had to protect themselves from other Rodian assassins sent by Navik the Red. Dorval provided some means of protection, but only so long as they weren’t out on a job. The droid’s combat prowess soon became an invaluable addition. Nashka and Caila would continue to serve Dorval faithfully until they learned about the Hutt’s involvement with the Imperial program known as the Omega Project. The Omega Project As fate would have it, Dorval selected Nashka and Caila to accompany him as his bodyguards for a trip down to the Omega Project’s facilities, known as the Omega Base. The Imperials who were behind the project had been pleased with the multitude of species that Dorval’s slavers had been able to collect for them, but their need was insatiable and Dorval was looking to get out of the slave trade. For security reasons, the Empire wanted to keep the knowledge of the Omega Project as limited as possible, and rather than try to find another slave runner, Dorval was invited down to try and entice him to continue supplying the project. It was there that Nashka learned of the Omega Project and all it stood for: the modification and subjugation of all non-humans under the Empire. Although Nashka was rightfully appalled at the concept, he saw within it a tremendous opportunity. After talking it over with Caila, the two surprised everyone by volunteering to be a part of the project - provided the Imperial technicians strictly adhered only to the Rodians’ suggestions for improving their bodies. The Imperials were rightly suspicious and eventually the head of research, Colonel Xamas, came up with the idea that Nashka and Caila would be admitted if one of them could defeat the project’s most dangerous creation: a Barabel, classified as Subject 256, who called himself Skarrek. To Skarrek’s credit he gave Nashka the greatest challenge of his life, but in the end Nashka was victorious. The Imperials were true to their word and Nashka and Caila severed their contracts with Dorval. Although Dorval wasn’t happy to lose his favorite assassins, the Hutt was smart enough to know that in this case it would be more advantageous for him to cooperate. Soon thereafter the two were subjected to several tests and operations to modify their bodies as they had outlined. In both instances, the modifications were a success and Nashka soon set his mind towards bringing the abhorrent project down. The End of the Omega Project While he waited for his body to heal, Nashka made several contacts with the other inmates of the Omega Base. Surprisingly he and Skarrek soon developed a friendship based off of mutual respect. Although the Barabel was savage and quick to anger, Nashka could see that Skarrek had a unique code of honor that the Rodian could admire. In return, Skarrek gave Nashka his grudging respect as the only person to ever beat him in a fight. Nashka and Caila also began to case the base for weaknesses and other concerns. It would also be one of the few times in Nashka’s life that he would flat-out lie to those he would consider allies. With the exception of Skarrek, the inmates of the Omega Base were either completely psychotic or broken shells of their former selves. The three conspirators made a secret decision to try and eliminate the Omega Base and all inside once the riot was over for this reason. Within a year, all the factors were in place for the riot that would ultimately see the end of the Omega Project. Once the base was taken, Nashka secretly initiated the self-destruct as he, Caila, and Skarrek fled and were picked up by Kayonezero. A few stragglers managed to survive but were summarily hunted down and destroyed by the four. In addition the Imperials who had been a part of the project but were not in the base at the time were hunted down as well. Only Colonel Xamas, probably the most notorious source of the project’s atrocities, managed to escape into hiding. The destruction and elimination of the Omega Base, as well as the masterminds behind it, was so complete that the Empire didn’t try to resurrect it. The Dinkos Now that they were free from the Omega Project, Nashka decided the best move was to form what would become an elite cadre of assassins. The only member of their four-person group who didn’t have any prior experience in professional assassination, Skarrek, was more than willing to take it up. This group would eventually be known as the Dinkos. Although the name seemed underwhelming, their incredible success rate quickly gained infamy across the galaxy and several other highly skilled assassins soon flocked to join them. Within this time Skarrek became less of an associate to Nashka and more like a member of his extended family, joining Caila and Kayonezero as one of the few people the Rodian felt he could trust with his life. The Dinkos became so well known that eventually they were contracted out by some of the most powerful crimelords in the galaxy. Of particular note was a job they were hired to do by Xan Dizon who wanted a former employee of his terminated before he could expose Dizon’s organization. It was a simple enough job, but circumstances ended up seeing the job horribly botched by the assassins sent to take care of it. Despite Nashka fully refunding Dizon his money, the crimelord swore vengeance. The incident with Dizon was a rarity among an otherwise impressive track record of kills and the Dinkos were soon able to demand top credit for their work. However while the cadre was at its greatest height, it would soon suffer its greatest fall. Betrayal Underneath the success of the Dinkos, resentment was brewing in the form of a twosome of assassins known as Sabra and Kevro; the Devil’s Pair. The Devil’s Pair had been one of the first to join the group but now secretly wanted to strike out on their own. The problem was that Nashka had a policy that once you joined the Dinkos, deserting the cadre meant you were marked for death. Although having a warrant out for their termination was nothing new to an assassin, having one issued by Nashka meant it had to be taken seriously. Already skilled at deception, the Devil’s Pair concocted a scheme to throw the Dinkos into turmoil and then flee in the resulting chaos. Using the boundless aggression of Skarrek to their advantage, the Devil’s Pair managed to successfully make it appear to the Barabel that Caila was selling information to the Dinko’s enemies, with the larger goal of bringing down the group for good. Although Skarrek brought his concerns before Nashka, the Rodian refused to believe Caila capable of doing something like that. From there Skarrek took matters into his own hands to prevent what he saw as Nashka blindly having faith in Caila and killed her in cold blood. Completely unaware of the machinations of Sabra and Kevro, Nashka only knew of Skarrek’s actions. The Rodian was devastated by the depth of Skarrek’s seeming betrayal of his trust and the loss of the only love of his life. Both assassins refused to see the other’s side and eventually challenged each other for control of the Dinkos. The resulting fight is legend among those who witnessed it, but by the end, Nashka emerged victorious. Rather than killing Skarrek, Nashka banished him from the group. With Caila’s death, the last shreds of emotion Nashka had were buried and he devoted all of his time to improving his skills further, becoming even more business-like in his approach to assassination. The work of the Devil’s Pair was so complete that Skarrek’s departure created a split within the group, with several of the assassins taking Skarrek’s side and leaving on principle, among them the Devil’s Pair themselves. Although the rules of termination still applied, the remaining Dinkos weren’t in any shape to seriously carry them out. Even with the split, the Dinkos' reputation was still impeccable even if they had to reduce the volume of assassinations they could take at any one time. Their effectiveness would eventually provide an enormous opportunity for Nashka with the largest criminal organization in the galaxy: Black Sun. Black Sun Although Skarrek was marked for termination, Nashka didn’t seriously believe any of the assassins who tried going after the Barabel would succeed. Indeed, none of them did. Every single one met their end at Skarrek’s hands. This continued until Skarrek became a member of Black Sun, after which no one wanted to add the extra challenge of crossing Black Sun with the difficulty in taking down someone like Skarrek. This actually suited Nashka just fine. Although the Rodian was confident he could kill Skarrek himself, he wanted to see the Barabel’s spirit broken first. He wanted Skarrek to know the pain of losing the last thing in life he had cared about. With that in mind, Nashka saw his chance to break Skarrek when Prince Xizor invited Nashka to become a Vigo in Black Sun. He, along with two others, Nilanna Krynnin and Grant Tirelli, were to form a special group of Vigos known as the Triad. Knowing that Skarrek had already established quite a reputation as an assassin in Black Sun, Nashka accepted on the condition that Skarrek be put under his command. Xizor granted the request and the Triad was officially born. As a Vigo, Nashka’s division specialized in doing what he did best, assassinations. The existing Dinkos were absorbed into Black Sun and many of the criminal organization’s other killers also started reporting to him. The Triad proved to be a powerful force in Black Sun and for awhile it seemed as though nobody save Xizor himself could touch them. During this time Nashka did all he could to make Skarrek’s life a living hell as long as it didn’t jeopardize his responsibilities as a Vigo. The Barabel however endured Nashka’s attempts without showing any sign of cracking. Nashka received his biggest opportunity when he learned that Colonel Xamas, the same man who had run the Omega Project and put Skarrek through so much torture, was on Coruscant. Nashka sent Skarrek to eliminate Xamas, while the Rodian secretly disguised himself as a stormtrooper as part of Xamas’ guard. Nashka allowed Skarrek to get just within range of Xamas before he revealed himself and killed the Imperial in front of Skarrek’s eyes, robbing him of the chance to fulfill one of his lifelong vendettas. It nearly pushed Skarrek over the edge, but instead of despair, the Barabel was overcome with rage. He viscously tried to attack Nashka, but was again put down by the Rodian, forcing Nashka to admit that breaking Skarrek would prove to be a nearly impossible task. Still, rather than killing Skarrek, Nashka spared his life again in the hope that eventually he would uncover the one thing that would be the key to breaking him. Fall of the Triad Unfortunately for Nashka, the Triad was proving to be too powerful and influential. Under the guise of expanding Black Sun’s influence even further, Xizor split up the Vigos and assigned each one a planet to bring into the fold of the criminal empire. Nilanna was given Naboo, Grant was tasked with Corellia, and Nashka’s division received Tatooine. Coming to the planet where his father had been killed was a bittersweet experience for Nashka, but he was by now too far beyond the capacity for emotion to let it affect him. Despite having to compete with the formidable presence Jabba the Hutt already had on the desert planet, Nashka’s division showed some initial success in establishing themselves. Just as he was planning to speak with Jabba personally about how the Hutt would benefit from even closer cooperation with Black Sun, things took a horrible turn for the worse. As it turned out Xizor never intended for the Triad Vigos to be successful in their new tasks. Splitting them up had only been a preliminary step to eliminating them entirely. While Nilanna and Grant dealt with Xizor’s betrayal on their respective planets, Nashka found himself dealing with an old enemy, Xan Dizon, who had Xizor’s blessing to destroy Nashka and his people. Xan’s first step was to bribe the Empire to send a Star Destroyer to Tatooine and eliminate Nashka’s group. Nashka’s ship, the Ruthless Dinko, as well as all onboard were the first casualties of the Empire’s aggression. While the remaining members of Nashka’s division fought a losing battle with the Imperials on the ground, Xan took the opportunity to kidnap Skarrek with the intent of learning the secrets the Omega Project had imbued him with. Nashka sought out Xan’s secret base in the Dune Sea and mercilessly went after the crimelord, inadvertently meeting up with Skarrek in the process, who had managed to escape his confinement. Although the two caused significant damage to the base and Xan’s people, the crimelord was able to escape. After the carnage was over, Nashka gathered the survivors and released them from his service, even Skarrek. He then went into hiding until a few months later when Xizor was killed and Black Sun crumbled. Nashka decided at that point to go into business by himself and vowed to never again work with anyone other than Kayonezero for any extended period of time. Lone Killer After the debacle on Tatooine, Nashka severed most of his ties with the outside galaxy and bought a new ship, which he named Dinko Ghost in honor of his previous ship. It was there he made his new home; his only preferred company was Kayonezero and the droids who maintained his vessel. Although Nashka’s time leading the Dinkos as well as being a Vigo in Black Sun had made him wealthy enough to retire for several lifetimes, Nashka still accepted jobs, the only provision was that the target had to be significantly challenging to him. In between hits, Nashka used his free time to hone his skills even further, seeing how far he could push his body before the strain became too much. As the galaxy continued to tear itself apart from the conflicts between its major governments, Nashka largely stayed out of the way and kept a low profile. It was only once the Jedi began to rise in prominence again that the Rodian decided the time had come to become more visible again. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before he was given offers to kill Jedi, Nashka sought out methods that would give him a way to fight them on their own terms if need be. He would eventually find such a way after learning that a man nearly erased from history had returned. The Laro Order Through some of his intelligence sources, Nashka was able to learn that a man who called himself Reng Kasr was serving as a Queen’s Advisor to a newly established government known as the Laro Order. After some more digging, as well as a search through his own private files, Nashka was able to confirm that the Kasr of the Laro Order was the same man who had once been a Grand Admiral; a man known during his time to be one of the Empire’s most effective Jedi killers. Deciding that Kasr was the person to teach him techniques to fight against Jedi, Nashka secretly journeyed to the Laro Order. He managed to infiltrate the palace undetected before orchestrating the simultaneous death of all of the palace’s Ortolan chefs just to prove he could strike at anyone at anytime. Nashka eventually confronted Kasr in the other’s quarters where they reached an agreement. Kasr would teach him what he knew and Nashka would serve him for a time on retainer. This proved to be mutually beneficial to both parties as Nashka became proficient in Rask and learned the basics of Skra, while Kasr utilized Nashka’s deadly skills to the utmost to take care of threats to the Queen as well as to increase her power and influence. Eventually Kasr deemed that Nashka had learned to properly use Rask and declared that their contract was complete. The assassin was sworn to secrecy before being allowed to leave, emerging from the experience even deadlier than before. Bad Blood In progress... =Active Threads= Bad Blood Category:Featured ArticleCategory:HalomekCategory:CharactersCategory:RodiansCategory:AssassinsCategory:Black Sun